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December 1735 (3)
= Vossiche Zeitung - December 1735 = Weather this month *Rain in the East Indies, India, and the Pacific. Events Of Importte Pertaining To Recent Matters Suo *The siege of Suo has continued and was marked on 2nd December by a rumbling noise as sections of ground shook. This signalled what was happening below ground - the destruction of countermining galleries underneath Suo which were being prepared by Swiss soldiers serving in the King of Spain’s Army, many of whom met their end when the galleries unfortunately fell in on them. Fearing this was an earthquake, the Chinese held back their siege operations until the 5th. Slow progress was then made, but by 11th December trenches had been dug as far as the midwork ditch defences while under cannon fire. Fierce fighting between five battalions of Chinese Tiger Men armed with swords and a Portuguese regiment serving His Most Catholic Majesty stretched over the following week as they contested ownership of these midworks. The Tiger Men, despite numerous sorties, failed to dislodge the defenders and this reverse caused the progress of the siege to stall for the rest of the month. Over the next few days there was a great deal of activity visible between the midwork ramparts and the main curtain wall, causing the Chinese to suspect an attempt to recapture the covered way was going to be launched. In the event no such sortie happened, but the fortress cannon and mortars did deliver a lively bombardment against these Chinese-held works. *At sea off Suo the Chinese fleet of 19 junks of war closed together during a rainy patch as the Spanish Pacific Fleet commanded by Admiral Don Franciscode Verlassco hove into view. 17 Spanish ship of the line cleared decks for action while to starboard five transports sheltered behind. The junk captains, probably unwisely, set off to contest the passage of the Spanish fleet to Suo. They made sail toward the enemy forming their small junks in a cluster rather than a line. The veteran Verlassco had his men o’war turn several degrees to starboard to present broadsides and proceeded to engage the enemy. This shooting caused sufficient damage to - and sufficient consternation aboard - the Chinese vessels as to encourage them all to turn about. The Chinese thus avoided further contact with the fleet of battle as it steadily and without further ado anchored adjacent to Suo fortress (where no proper port facility exists). The Chinese attempt at naval blockade has now ended since the junks did not cease from sailing away and have left the vicinity with some haste! Piombino & Leghorn *Word is going around the bars and taverns of Piombino and Leghorn that the Christian world has had enough of the threats of Muslim pirates. People are saying steps should be taken to reclaim the seas, and that the navies of the West are not doing their job! Those loudly saying this tended to be land-based soldiers. But is also said in these parts that intrepid men with God in their hearts would be praised indeed if they were to take hold of Muslim ships and bring those held capture within them into the loving arms of Christ! *As it is Christmas what are being termed ‘two Serbian spies’, Giuseppe Vaucheri and Milan Nedic, who have been languishing in shackles in Leghorn, have been shown clemency and released. It was proposed to them that they should throw themselves upon the tender mercies of Cardinal Rizzi - seeking salvation for their sins by truly, and completely, embracing the love of Christ, lest their souls be lost to the devil. They were told by those freeing them that it is well known that Cardinal Rizzi and the monks of the monastery at Lecceto are well practised in removing sin from every fibre of a man’s being and delivering to Christ vessels scoured clean... However after being set free it appears the two ingrates sped off and it is likely they have headed into Serb lands. Lisbon *Jorge Paniera, royal chancellor to the King of Portugal announced in the Cortez of Lisbon that the following terms have been agreed by Sultan Mulay of the Moors: i. All slaves to be freed immediately and be brought to Fez. The continual ownership of slaves from two months beyond the signing of this treaty will be severely punished. ii. Any remaining Barbary pirates in Morocco are to be arrested immediately and their goods and property are to be forfeited. iii. Morocco to pay reparations of £4,000,000. iv. The Moroccan city of Tangier and Larache are to be handed over to Spain, while the cities of Sale and Rabat to become Portuguese. v. The Moroccan army is to be limited to 10 infantry battalions with the remainder disbanded. vi. The Moroccan navy is to be reduced to 10 active lineships, with five each handed over to Spain and Portugal with the remaining ships being placed in the ordinary. vii. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will be subject to a non-aggression treaty to last five years. The chamber erupted into cheers and several gentlemen even went so far as to throw their hats heavenward such is their exuberance at this joyful news! Genoa *Doge Ruggiero Doria of Genoa has revealed that he has no objections to friendly neighbours establishing trade missions in Oneglia, 'my only objection would be to foreign troops or ships of war entering this republic.' Clearly delighted by this news, and bubbling over with enthusiasm, Signore Ascanio Chellini made great show of presenting the Dogal Prince with a painted Renaissance icon of Our Lady the Madonna, emphasising that this was purely a gift and not a bribe of any kind. Naturally this made several gentlemen in Genoa assume it really is a bribe promised to the Doge should he come to make the right decision (the Doge’s love of such art is well known). Rome *Pope Benedict XIII has personally led daily mass thanking ‘the Lord God Most High for saving the lambs of Christ, and asking that He save the Christians of Jerusalem over the years now to come from the fiery darts of the many antichrists who have gone out into the world.’ *The pious Duke Ferdinando di Tuscany-Modena has offered up prayers in thanks for the saving of Father Benjamin. Whilst praying it was said that Ferdinando became seized by a vision. To those present it appeared as if a shaft of light suddenly struck His Grace as he kneeled before the altar in St. Peter’s. He was then seen to raise his arms to heaven and cry out, the light then dissipated as quickly as it had arrived. The Duke, tears of joy streaming down his cheeks left the Basilica and was observed heading south out of the city. A few days later he reached the Augustinian Monastery at Lecceto, which is just west of Siena, and met with Cardinal Rizzi to whom he is known to have spoken with in private. Amsterdam *The Dutch Foreign Ministry has requested the deportation to Amsterdam from France of Martin van Serooskerken, since he appears to be a Dutch citizen. "If he is to serve a prison sentence I will be happy to ensure he serves it in a Dutch gaol," Joannes Adriaen said. In response to the French public call for satisfaction, Minister Adriaen wondered if His Majesty remembered the De Witt brothers of famous memory and how the French attempted to use spies to overthrow the Dutch Republic? He therefore called on the Duke of Brissac to 'take the log out of his own eye' but also referred him to the fact that Serooskerken is not in the service of the United Provinces. "We do not employ such obviously incompetent agents, such fakes, as I stated in public a year ago!" Stockholm *Queen Ursula of Sweden-Norway has recovered her full strength in both mind and body, thanks be to God! Vienna *Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria has been given Middleham Manor and its attached estate in North Yorkshire by the King of England as her personal property. Lady Margaret O’Donnell told Her Highness about this, and explained that it was on account of the archduchess being bethrothed to Prince James, Duke of Clarence. Her Highness the Archduchess was then called away to a private meeting with Prince Metternich and Christophe de Aimee. *Christmas in Vienna was a low key affair without any great social events. Rather the royal family marked the feast of the birth of Jesus Christ by attending mass at St. Stephen’s and distributing alms to the needy. Versailles *The Duc de Brissac, Chancellor of France, has extended an invitation to the unkempt- looking ambassador of Austria, Karl Krauss, to discuss the unfortunate events of last month’s festivities in Vienna. The Chancellor has publicly stated his hopes that this 'social faux pas' - involving a royal emissary - can be quickly forgotten. His Majesty King Louis XV was himself preoccupied with his chief architect Joseph d’Exile, brother of the current chancellor, choosing a location for a new hunting lodge not far from Versailles. Jerusalem *Father Sebastian has taken on the living of the Church of St. Anne in Jerusalem, leading his Roman Catholic flock in repairing the roof lately damaged. Fiume *Austrian administrators have withdrawn from the port of Fiume, the second city of the Hapsburg Kingdom of Croatia. They did so in a calm and orderly manner, taking away only papers relating to Austrian rule rather than taking part in any ugly or revenge- motivated asset stripping or looting. The Austrian Adriatic Squadron remains here and is undergoing exercises off the port, while ashore Wurtemburg-Saxony has a garrison keeping law and order and ensuring there is no unruly behaviour with the withdrawal of Austrian rule. Rule has devolved for the time being to the city council which has established itself in the Castle of Tvsat. The Hungarian ministers loyal to Joseph of Spain have made preparations for Hungarian civil and military administration to be extended over Fiume and the other parts of the Kingdom of Croatia ceded by Austria to King Joseph of Hungary-Croatia just as soon as they are given the order to do so. Fez *General Mina de Ouro has thanked Sultan Mulay of the Moors for agreeing to the terms and has asked His Highness to ‘issue the command in order that these terms are met.’ Mulay then asked if he may be set at liberty to ensure the treaty terms were carried out? Tangier & Algiers *Prince Yusuf, enjoying his new-found freedom, travelled overland to Tangier from Fez accompanied by his three Spanish bodyguards. He found the Moorish port bustling with the Sultan of Morocco’s troops, but once there learnt that grain he wished to take delivery of had been set ashore at Algiers, not Tangier. He then set out for Algiers, rode through some old Spanish fortified lines west of there and into this port. Once safely within Algiers who took charge of the grain, or at least tried to. Moorish officials complained that they had taken receipt of it, and so it was not up to them to dispense it as they see fit, not up to a foreign prince to tell them what to do with it! Yusuf argued with them, insisting the grain has been ‘delivered by Allah, via the Caliph to show that you have not been forsaken...’ The civic officials agreed entirely, and insist Allah has handed the grain into their hands, providentially. Realising that pursuing this would do nothing but creater hostility against his own person, Prince Yusuf relented but asked if they knew where their imprisoned Sultan was being held? They replied that they assumed Fez, and if that were not so then perhaps Meknes? Yusuf mounted his horse once more, and has set out saying he intends to return to Fez... London *Ambassador Pablo Olavide of Portugal has been so good as to inform the Duke of Richmond that two ship loads of tea grain have arrived in London and are a gift from the Portuguese Crown. The Duke thanked His Excellency, and took possession of the cargo. El Escorial *King Joseph and Queen Amalia of Spain spent Christmas at their royal palace where the birth of Christ was celebrated, as was the birthday of the Infantas, with a mixture of banqueting, music and fireworks. Their Most Catholic Majesties also offered their public congratulations to King Charles, Queen Ursula, Emperor Wilhelm and Empress Katrina following the safe delivery of their baby. Turin *In the Basilica di Superqa as well as in the other churches of Savoy-Piedmont the feast of the Immaccolata (the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary) was celebrated on 8th December, as well the Natale (Christmas) by holy mass. A banquet was held after the mass of Natale at which Duke Victor Amadeus II bestowed the titles of Marchese Le Langhe and Conte d’ Barolo upon his son Carlo Emanuele. Florence *King Cosimo de Medici of Italy has apologised to his attendant Roman Catholic priests for his rather clumsy remarks regarding the date of the invention of the Muslim ‘faith’. “I was clearly overtaken by the passion of anger at reading the insults to the Church perpetrated in Jerusalem.” This confession was well met, and the priests declared him forgiven. Incidentally, the curious amongst you may wish to know that Cosimo holds this title of ‘king’ as an honorary title - His Majesty has no power beyond the borders of Tuscany. After reading the news that pirates are attacking Tuscan shipping, King Cosimo felt moved to comment. “Unbelievable! How can the Caliph be so two-faced - on the one hand talking to us of peaceful resolution whilst all the time plotting to extend piracy across the oceans, it is a disgraceful way to behave.” Conte di Bolsena remarked, “Well, Your Majesty, in truth we expected nothing else from those heathen dogs... They are to a man untrustworthy and serve only themselves.” Cosimo replied, “My dear friend I hope you are wrong, I pray that within his heart honesty and decency prevail...” *Great celebrations have been held across Tuscany to mark Christmas. The many splendid cathedrals a nd churches enjoyed full congregations and fervent prayer. It was remarked by some travellers that Tuscany is these days are truly devout and worshipful nation. Prayers have been said for those captured by the Muslim pirates, and for the impending wedding of the King of Portugal, as well as for the men fighting abroad and last but not least for the safe deliverance of the valiant priest Father Benjamin as the duchy eagerly awaits his arrival. It is hoped that it is for Tuscany he is bound! King Cosimo marked the birth of our Lord by distributing 5,000 tons of grain to the people of this realm to aid them through the winter months. People being Much Admired by the Best in Société *Portugal *Russia *Sweden *France *Denmark *United Kingdom *Austria *Spain *Tuscany *Poland Shipping Lists: Being a Reporte on Knowne Shipping Movements *The Tuscan 1st Fleet of eight cruisers and two liners has sailed into Lisbon Harbour, where cannon were disembarked and handed over to the care of the Portuguese Army. Lloyds Lists: Being a Reporte on Knowne Shipping Losses from Causes Unknowne or Knowne *None. Ambassadorial Appointments *Sent by Savoy to Tuscany, Cavaliere Matteo de Fasini. Trade Missions Opened *By Savoy in Beziers, Marseilles, and Toulon. *On the orders of His Highness the Duke of Savoy the following trade missions have been shut down: *In Turin, those of the Papacy, Spain, and Lithuania. *In Geneva, that of Hanover. *In Nice, those of Venice and Flanders. Automatically parsed by LGDRParser v1.0 Category:Game 3